Report 149: MV Anna Marra - Cattle exported to Indonesia and Malaysia in June 2019

A consignment of 16,021 cattle were loaded onto the MV Anna Marra at the Port of Broome between 24 and 26 June 2019. The vessel departed on 26 June 2019. The first discharge was at the Port of Panjang, Indonesia between 30 June and 3 July 2019. The second discharge was at the Port of Pasir Gudang, Malaysia on 6 July, making this a 13 day voyage.

An Independent Observer (observer) boarded the vessel at Broome and remained on board until completion of discharge.

The mortality rate for the cattle was 0.04% (7 mortalities). This does not exceed the reportable mortality rate. The causes of these mortalities were not considered to be linked to any systemic failure by the exporter.

Exporter documentation

Exporter arrangements were available to address procedures relating to livestock management from loading through to discharge, including contingencies..

Loading

The cattle were loaded according to the load plan. Sawdust was applied to ramps and main alleyways and solid panelling was erected around corner areas. The observer noted that pen density was compliant with Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock (Version 2.3) 2011 (ASEL) requirements. All livestock had access to clean water as soon as they were loaded. There were no animal welfare issues identified during loading.

Personnel

Three LiveCorp Accredited Stockpersons (stockpersons) accompanied the voyage and were assisted by two trainee stockpersons. The observer noted the stockpersons and crew had proficient animal handling skills. The observer also noted the professionalism of the lead stockperson, his good communication skills and the crew’s mutual overall goal of ensuring the health and wellbeing of the livestock.

Daily routine

A management meeting was held each day at 10:00am and was attended by the master, Chief Officer (CO), assistant CO, chief engineer, bosun, stockpersons and the observer. The attendees discussed temperatures, treatments, feed adjustments, water, health and any other issues impacting the cattle.

The stockpersons completed a minimum of two full inspections of the cattle daily where they monitored feed and water levels, pad condition, assessed the livestock for illness and generally monitored the health and welfare of the cattle.

Two night watchpersons were assigned to monitor the livestock from Broome to Panjang, and one night watchperson was assigned to the voyage between Panjang to Pasir Gudang. The observer watched the nightwatch person completing duties such as re-attaching fallen fodder troughs.

Feed and water

All livestock had access to fodder and water as soon as they were loaded, as per the voyage instructions and ASEL requirements.

Appropriate amounts of fodder was loaded according to ASEL requirements. Two main feeds occurred daily with at least 2 other top-ups during the day, as the exporter preferred the animals to have ad-lib feed. Crew were observed discarding fodder dust prior to topping up with fresh fodder. Chaff was available after discussion with the head stockperson.

The crew were observed checking water troughs on a daily basis and cleaning when necessary. Troughs were also cleaned regularly of fodder spillage, chaff and faecal material. A technician monitored all water troughs and carried out maintenance work when necessary.

Ventilation

The ventilation was observed to be functioning well throughout the voyage. Livestock did not display any signs of heat stress, such as panting. Environmental conditions were good and the livestock remained relaxed throughout the voyage.

Temperature and humidity checks were recorded every four hours. Dry bulb temperatures ranged between 27°C to 32°C with humidity ranging from 65% to 86%, and wet bulb temperatures of between 22°C to 29°C.

Pen conditions

Pen conditions were good during the voyage. Additional sawdust was added to the pens that housed the heavier animals. Deck washing was carried out on Day 8, after discharging the Panjang consignment.

The observer noted that 50% of the livestock were able to lie down at any one time, and observed this on multiple occasions.

Health and welfare

There were 5 animals treated for lameness and 1 animal treated for an eye injury. The treatments applied included antibiotics and anti-inflammatories.

There were 7 mortalities on the voyage. No post mortems were carried out however, the causes of death were attributed to a broken leg and neck, enteritis and one down and unable to get back up.

Discharge

All livestock had access to clean water and fodder during the discharge process. Crew were observed using appropriate stock handling skills to minimise stress during discharge. The observer noted that discharge was carried out in a safe manner with animal welfare a first priority.

The observer noted the stockpersons and the crew ensured the health and welfare of the cattle was maintained during the voyage.

The exporter arrangements were observed to be implemented during the voyage and to be compliant with ASEL requirements.